


Follow you

by Valkirsif



Category: Natasha Romanov - Fandom, Steve Rogers - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2019-10-07 09:39:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17363588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valkirsif/pseuds/Valkirsif
Summary: Painter Steve Rogers dreaming know etoile Natasha





	1. Chapter 1

Steve continued to look thoughtfully at the charcoal sketch on the canvas, for months he stared at those thin lines, those sinuous shadows would have liked "she" were there in front of him posing, smiling with flowers in her hair and red shoes, he knew that it was an almost impossible dream, he left the room where worked and started getting ready to go out, chose the gray suit, checked that everything was in place, the newly polished shoes, the starched shirt, tightened the tie and looked at the did not even look like he usually wore casual clothes and when he was at home he was wearing a simple overalls that, over the years, carried the signs and colors of his work, but not that evening, that long awaited evening was prepared carefully, he took a yellow rose and put it to his eyelet, removed the ticket for the theater from the fridge, removed the flowers from the water and left the house.  
The taxi was waiting for him, went up he gave a Brooklyn address and he checked not to be late, he would not be forgiven waiting for that night for a month, the traffic in front of the Kings Theater was remarkable, the evening of the premiere of Cinderella had attracted a multitude of people, paid the bill and went to the entrance, presented the ticket and looked for a clerk to deliver the flowers,  
"Excuse me, could you hand them over to Miss Natasha please?" he told the dance club public relations girl,  
"Certainly give it to me," the girl answered smiling, "Yellow roses her favorite, i immediately take her into Tasha's dressing room" she turned and disappeared behind a door leading to the dressing rooms, Steve always sent a bouquet of yellow roses to Natasha when knew she would work in the city, he had not lost her show in the last 5 years, since the first time he saw her on stage he fell in love with her movements and lightness, he was fascinated by the red so special of his hair who stood out among the other generally blond or brunette dancers, after the show had waited for her like many other fans, Natasha had gone out with her colleagues the loose hair that danced with the wind, she smiled and signed the autograph,  
"Oh yellow roses .. they are my favorite" she said taking what the man had in the buttonhole before greeting politely and follow the other dancers, from that time always provided to deliver a deck before the show, while he was lost in remember the bell of the all sounded warning that the show would start shortly and went to his place, took the program from the chair and put it in his pocket as he always did, the lights went down and the audience applauded at the entrance of the dancers.  
The show flowed perfect and wonderful, Natasha moved lightly on the tips smiling, almost did not cost him to pirouette and jump, Steve was fascinated, in his mind the brush ran on the canvas while she moved on the stage, wanted to fix every movement to look to bring it back to the canvas once he got home, during the interval he took a coffee,  
"Your coffee Brooklyn boy," the waitress said, holding out the cup,  
"Thanks," said distractedly putting the sugar, "Hey Sara?? What are you doing here? " asked, surprised at the smiling girl behind the counter," Only you still call me that" he laughed  
"I work here that questions" she answered "But after the show i start at the Parrot why do not you go see me?" invited him while she was moving from another client,  
"I will not miss beauty" he sent her a kiss and went back to the living room to enjoy the rest of the show, Natasha with the princess costume twirling, the prince looking for the owner of the shoe and the grand finale, stood up to clap with his heart in his throat as always, Cinderella was his favorite, looked at the schedule and decided to reach Sara.  
The Parrot was one of his favorite places, he loved the style of the 50s, the old colored jukebox welcomed the patrons, waiter on the skates darted through the hall, the atmosphere was always cheerful and familiar and he was an old-fashioned man, Sara brought him the usual beer at the table,  
"Welcome Steve, 5 minutes and the food arrives" embraced him smiling and slipped away, Steve thanked and turned to watch the game broadcast on the jig screen, the only note of modernity of the room, the friend returned with hamburgers and chips and a double dose of sauce, the man got comfortable ready to dine when saw Natasha who entered the room and sat at the desk, without thinking too much called Sara,  
"Do you see the red one just entered?" he said nodding his head, the girl followed with his eyes and nodded, "You should put this as a seal of the drink that i offer, would you?" asked by passing the rose,  
"I'll take care of that Brooklyn Boy, for you this and more" she winked at him and went to the barman, Steve tried to pretend nothing while he was eating his hamburger and follow the game goes,  
"Are you the mysterious man who sends me yellow roses to every show in Brooklyn?!" Natasha said, sitting down at his table and resting the glass decorated with petals in front of her,  
"Got it, it's me, Pleasure Steve," he answered, stretching out his hand,  
"Natasha my pleasure, i can finally thank you for the flowers," she said cheerfully gripping the man's hand, "You know i'm almost a lucky door for your flowers, i always wait for them when i'm in town" behind the ears a rebellious lock,  
"Glad you liked them, who knows how many flowers will deliver you every night" Steve stared at her, she had delicate features with bright gray/blue eyes and soft lips, but her hair was incredible red lit with almost pink reflections, he thought as could make them on the canvas,  
"Yes but you're the only one who sends me yellow roses ..." she said staring at the man's face, the beard cured the open smile deep blue eye attentive and curios,  
"You told me they were your favorite the first time i saw you and i did not forget," he said offering the chips,  
"Thanks" she said reaching out to the plate, "Can i ask what work do you do?",  
"I'm an artist just like you" Steve did not seem true, "I'm a painter"  
"Really?!" Natasha asked, "Beautiful work who knows how many people you have portrayed" the curiosity that transpired in every word, the man decided to groped the fate,  
"I must confess that i have a canvas waiting to be finished," said with no chalance,  
"How come you did not finish it, if I can ask" Natasha's bright eyes convinced him to confess,  
"Now i will pass by maniac but i'm waiting for you" the voice embarrassed, "It 's since i follow you that I want to make you a portrait but I never had the opportunity to talk to you, a couple of months ago I traced the first lines but I could not continue ..", was he had asked her, i gave her burst out laughing enthusiastically,  
"And if I said yes when you could start?" she asked staring,  
"Tomorrow morning is fine for you, the light is perfect at 8, could you bring your shoes?" he replied as wrote on a napkin his address and passed it to Natasha, the woman nodded putting the address in the bag and finishing the drink,  
"Tomorrow morning then Steve" greeted him smiling getting up to go out, the man greeted, finished the beer and returned home happy for the fine evening.  
At 7.45 the bell rang, Steve turned off the coffee pot and went to open,  
"Good morning Natasha accommodated," he said making way,  
"Good morning, I brought breakfast," said turning and putting Steve in a box of donuts, "I'm greedy for donuts, fortunately I do a job that makes me burn anything I eat" she laughed, taking off hier jacket,  
"Excellent idea, i love them too" he led her to the kitchen," Sit down the coffee is almost ready ", the two had breakfast and Steve accompanied her to the studio where he had already prepared everything,  
"You were right there is a beautiful light here" Natasha said looking around, approached the sketch incomplete,"You want me put in this pose?" she asked turning to the man who was preparing the colors,  
"Yes, if you do not mind, I hope it's not too uncomfortable for you," said, making her sit on a raised floor, "I've always imagined you, with your hair disheveled while you unlaced the shoes after the tests" the concentrated face while helping her to pose, Natasha followed the directions as if it were on stage and the director was giving instructions, there was an incredible chemistry between them, Steve returned to the canvas and he began to draw the lines of the face, the light gave the woman's hair some rosy reflections and illuminated her face, their eyes often crossed in the morning, they exchanged many smiles  
"For today it is enough to thank you" Steve said 3 hours later, the light had changed and he had to interrupt his work, "you can relax"  
"I was not uncomfortable" Natasha replied, stretching her legs, "Can I look?" said approaching,  
"Of course, it's not over yet" smiled at her, the woman looked at the astonished canvas,  
"Steve is beautiful" eyes shining as she watched the work,  
"When you're available we can continue" Steve hoped to spend more time with her before she left for the next theater,  
"Even tomorrow if you are free, i want to take it with me when i leave" answered the woman, they agreed to meet again the next day.  
They spent the next 2 weeks seeing each other almost every day, Steve finished the painting the night before Natasha's departure and decided to deliver it to her in person, arrived at the hotel where the woman lived and went up, was nervous not only because of the painting had decided to confess his feelings, knocked on the door and waits, Natasha opened the door smiling as always and made him sit down,  
"You should not have bothered i would have passed tomorrow morning before leaving," said ordering a drink in the room service,  
"No disturb" he answered nervously, handing her the wrapped picture, the woman leaned on the bed and let the waiter put the tray on the table before going out, Natasha filled the glasses passing one to the man and opened the package, her eyes lit up,  
"Ohh Steve is wonderful" whispered turning to him,"It looks like a picture" stared at the painting in ecstasy,  
"I'm glad you like it" approached her and put hands on her hips, the woman looked at him a second before leaning the painting on the bed,  
"Steve i think i got a crush on you," she smiled, putting her arms around his neck,  
"The thing is mutual," the man replied drawing her to him and kissing.


	2. Chapter 2

They looked at each other for a few minutes, they knew that soon they would have to say goodbye but neither of them broke the joy of that moment, Steve was memorizing every expression and every breath of Natasha, wanted to fix them in mind before letting her go, the woman smiled, took his hand and led him to the bed  
"Little doll what strange idea put on your head?" Steve laughed, complicitly taking her in his arms and making laugh, the woman clung to his hips and kissed him, he had dreamed many times about that situation and now that she was in his arms it didn't seem real, laid her down on the bed and slowly undressed   
"Tasha you are so beautiful" said caressing her face, the woman stared at him smiling, "It will be hard to be without you for the next few weeks" sighed,  
"Shh, let's not think about it now," she replied, kissing him, "Right now it's just you and me, no work, no travel, just the two of us," whispered, drawing him to herself, they spent the night exploring their bodies and making love.  
Steve opened his eyes at dawn turned in bed and was enchanted watching Natasha still asleep, her naked and lithe body illuminated by the first rays of sun, her usually ordered hair framed her face, was tempted to wake her up but was left to admiring it the alarm would have sounded soon dividing them, she was about to leave for a tour that would take her around the country, if only he had imagined that the previous evening would have ended that way would not have made plans for his future, the woman moved opened her eyes and smiled at him, she was so damn perfect as soon as she woke up, Steve responded to her smile by touching her face and approaching her to kiss,  
"Good morning", Natasha curled up in his arms like a puppy looking for cuddles, she was so petite, "How about breakfast?" the man asked, kissing her head,  
"It seems to me a great idea, Steve," she replied, raising face to him, "What time is it?" asked, turning to the alarm clock,  
"I'soon has not yet played, let's enjoy the awakening" Steve stroked her back, "If decide to kidnap you think someone would notice?" asked laughing,  
"I'm afraid so, tonight we debut in New York I think you would notice my absence," she replied, standing up, "Love what you like for breakfast?" asked, picking up the phone to order,  
"For me coffee and donuts Sweetheart" he replied, sitting up, the woman put on robe and straddled it, the man pressed her to him kissing her neck, "Where had we stayed tonight?" whispered, sliding his hands up to her ass, the woman arched over him touching his pectorals  
"Mr. Rogers tempts me" she smiled, "But breakfast will come in 10 minutes"  
Steve turned and took it back and stood over it "Then I'll wait ..." he laughed, kissing her, they were entwined until the bell rang, Natasha got up and made the waiter sit and put the tray on the table and went out, the woman brought the tray to bed breakfast hugging each other quarreling the last donut, the insistent trill of the alarm broke the magic the woman turned it off sighing,  
"I have to get ready" she said in a low voice, "In an hour they'll go by to get me" headed for the shower, Steve followed her, they remained silent under the hot jet looking at each other lost in their thoughts,  
"Love did you see my tape?" asked the woman, raising the pillows,  
"Maybe .." Steve replied slyly, hugging her from behind, "... I want something of yours ..." he turned to kiss her, Natasha clung to him  
"And what do you give me in return?" she asked, "I'll turn into Medusa if I don't tie my hair," laughed, pulling off his tie and turning to the mirror, the man stared at her as he gently made a tall tail and stopped the rebellious locks with hairpins approached and tugged at her, a lock fell softly around her face,  
"You're so beautiful" he said kissing her, "Sorry but as a painter that loose tuft makes you perfect" laughed, Natasha looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at him,  
"You're right, I think I'll take them like this from now on," the woman finished packing and checked that she hadn't forgotten anything, the cell phone rang, her colleagues were now it was time to go and greet each other, the couple remained a few minutes in silence,  
"Call me as soon as you arrive" Steve said trying to mask the sadness,  
"I will .." Natasha replied with tears in her eyes, "... I will miss you tremendously Love", the man squeezed her, wrapping her,  
"I'll miss you too, but we can do it," he whispered, kissing her head, "I'll follow you as soon as you know," they broke the embrace and left the room.  
   
Steve  
   
The journey home on the subway was long and sad, the man clutched the tape in his fingers, thinking back to the last few weeks, he had crowned one of his dreams by portraying Natasha, it was good to have her around the house, he smiled at the memory of the first morning, he had spent a good part of the night arranging the apartment and he got up at dawn to get the flowers he would use in the portrait set he had changed at least 10 times before deciding to wear the clothes he used to work when the woman rang the bell he was at the third cafe, her curious eyes were so beautiful early in the morning as looked around as she entered, her smile open and cheerful as he smiled and put the donut box in his hand before got to work, the pocket that vibrated brought him back to the metro,  
"Hello," he said in reply  
"Is Mr. Rogers good morning?" asked a female voice  
"Yes, with whom do I have the pleasure of talking?" Steve answered, not recognizing the voice  
"I'm Daisy, I call him from the San Diego Institute of Art," the woman said, "his request to take the courses was accepted, we wait for her Monday at 10 to fix the paperwork," his hand trembled after the portrait Natasha was able to study in San Diego was his biggest dream and now could make it happen.  
"Of course, you can give me the address please," he said excitedly  
"We sent you an email with all the necessary information, on Monday," the man said goodbye and stared at the phone screen for a few minutes, still didn't believe it, quickly dialed Natasha's number, wanted to share that news with her immediately was about to start the call when he realized what it meant, how would he explain to the woman that was leaving for San Diego right now that they had found each other?  
He got off two stops before the house he needed to clear his head, crossed the street and walked quickly towards his favorite bar in the center sure that Sara would be there to listen and advise him as always, the phone vibrated again was Natasha  
"Hey Baby have you already landed?" asked, looking at his watch, it had been a couple of hours before he couldn't be in New York already,  
"We're about to leave, I wanted to hear your voice before turning off the phone, we didn't talk even a moment after you arrived last night," she laughed.  
"I still don't believe it seems like a dream to me" Steve laughed in turn, he wouldn't tell her anything for now he wanted it to be quiet and focused for the first, "If I didn't already have work commitments I would have left with you," he said,  
"It was a sudden thing we will talk as soon as I promise you," the excited woman replied, "They announced to turn it all off, I'll call you as soon as I land .. by the way .. I love you"  
"Oh Tasha I love you too, I'll join you as soon as I can" he greeted her before attacking and entering the bar.  
"How are you early morning Brooklyn boy" Sara welcomed him as cheerful as ever and made him coffee, "Is everything okay Steve?" she asked putting the cup and a caramel donut in front of him, the man smiled at her nobody knew him as well as she did,  
"It's all right, all too well," he replied seriously, "Do you remember the redhead at Parrot?" began  
"Of course, it's hard to forget something like this," laughed Sara, "have you met again?"  
"I did the portrait and it got out of hand, I gave it to her last night and the evening ended with the mutual confession of the crush" he smiled  
"Great I am happy for you" the woman laughed in return, giving him five, "If it is mutual how come you seem unhappy?"  
"I'm really happy just believe me that, San Diego called me a little while ago, I was accepted at the Art Institute" said Steve turning the coffee, Sara went around the counter and threw her arms around his neck happy,  
"Oh Steve but it's wonderful news" he chirped, "When are you leaving? Do you need a hand for the move? "  
"The time to fix things here, I have a couple of jobs to finish, I have to look for an apartment near the campus but above all I have to tell her" he confessed, "It won't be easy, we didn't talk about anything last night and Tasha just left on tour, it will already be difficult to see if delivery will become almost impossible" he concluded lowering his serious voice, "I don't know what to do Sara" he looked at her, Sara squeezed him she understood what he was going through  
"I can't decide for you and any advice could end badly" she smiled sincerely, "What I know is that if anyone can handle such a thing you are" stared, "You just have to relax and figure out what you want, how much Is this woman important to you? "  
"Oh Sara for years I followed and admired from afar then, thanks to your help, I met her and we started dating for the portrait and the feeling grew, I think I could follow her to the end of the world if I she asked," he laughed with a beating heart  
"Well, how important is it to attend SDAI?" asked Sara looking at him,  
"I have been trying to get into SDAI for 3 years, I could finish my studies, make my job and my passion perfect and it would open a lot of doors for me, it's an occasion that happens once in a lifetime" he laughed again, adrenaline pumping into blood,  
"Mmm the two things are the same, they are just as important to you, you have to understand if you are willing to give up one in favor of the other, or grit your teeth and have them both" concluded Sara, the man knew he didn't want to give up any of the two, he would have fought and worked so as not to lose Tasha and at the same time would have worked hard for his studies, he smiled at Sara and went back to his apartment.  
   
 Natasha  
   
Her colleagues wanted to know everything about the mysterious man he had kissed before getting on the bus,  
"Come on Tasha don't let me pray" Jenny insisted on behalf of all, "It's the first time we see one of your admirers, and it's not bad I would add" the group laughed,  
"Ok ok nosy that you are nothing else, his name is Steve and he is the mysterious admirer .." she began laughing,  
"Wait for the one from the yellow roses?" Fanny asked,  
"Exactly, he's an exceptional painter, I've been to him every day for the past few weeks," said,  
"It's the one from the bar, from after the show he sent her that rose drink with rose petals", they remembered it well, they had been teasing it all evening but she didn't care, it had seemed like a guy place,  
"If you want me to tell you everything you have to calm girls" she laughed trying to get serious again, the group calmed down hanging on her lips, she returned on the first morning, didn't know what to expect and how to dress, had done several photo shoots for dance magazines and in fashion but modeling for a painting was something new to her, she dressed comfortably, put shoes in her bag and took a taxi that strange man intrigued her, always waited for his roses when she was in town and never missed a show and now she could know him better, the night before at the bar she was struck by his kindness and shyness, she saw a beautiful pastry shop and motioned for the driver to stop and wait for her, didn't want to arrive empty-handed.. seemed rude to her, she was fascinated when he opened the bare door to her and wearing a color-covered suit, they ate like old friends and he took her to the study, was thrilled when saw the sketch that Stev and he had done by heart and had no trouble following his instructions, too bad that the light changed rapidly and she liked the game of looks between them but that was only the first of a series of mornings.  
Her colleagues questioned and eventually gave up telling about the night just passed,  
"Tasha how nice I am happy for you!" Fanny said enthusiastically, "Do you think him will join you soon?"  
"I hope so, he has some work to do here, neither of them had a relationship scheduled but when I saw the painting collapsed last night and told him everything," she replied with a smile, "The tour has just begun. better to get engaged but I am in love and I will try to make things work, on the plane it does not take much to come and find him between one move and the other" it seemed that tried to convince herself more than her friends, her last relationship was shipwrecked as soon as his career exploded and he was afraid that this could happen again, was thinking about how to deal with things when they arrived at the airport, checked in and made herself comfortable near the window, picked up the phone and called Steve, she wanted to hear his reassuring voice before leaving, the hostess told her to turn off the phone they were about to take off, Natasha smiled, everything would be fine .. in one way or another.


	3. Chapter 3

STEVE  
   
The man returned to the house, put the keys on the hook and listened to the answering machine, had been away for two days and found some messages, two were from the SDAI secretariat, a client asked him if they could anticipate the session and a couple were of new customers who had had his number from friends in common, Steve marked the numbers and deleted the messages before taking a shower, the hot jet helped him to clear his mind, if he committed he could get everything he wanted without having to give up to his art or to what seemed to be the woman of his life, he came out of the shower with a new awareness, put on the old coverall and called his clients back,  
"Hanna good morning I heard the message and for me it's not a problem if you want to get on with work today"  
"Thank you very much Steve, my husband is back from work trip before and I wanted to surprise him, is it okay if I arrive around 5 pm?" asked the enthusiastic woman,  
"Of course, later" Steve replied, greeting her, went to the studio and started to prepare everything, he had been working on that painting for weeks and was happy to have almost finished it, he didn't need the right light or Hanna to be model, the woman had brought him an old photo and wanted it transferred to the painting and had committed himself to making it perfect, the only condition she had set was to be present while Steve painted and he had satisfied, he liked to chat while worked over the course of the years he had known so many people and so many different stories, all had left him something transferred to his work, the telephone rang in the living room.  
   
NATASHA  
   
As always when she flew off fell asleep shortly after takeoff, the night just passed had not closed a lost eye in the painter's arms, happy and appalled as it had never happened before, an air vacuum woke her half an hour later, opened the eyes annoyed by a colleague who was startled scared,  
"Sabine is nothing," she said sleepily  
"Sorry Tasha you know I hate flying"  
"I would say you chose the wrong work dear," replied Natasha, laughing, "You should take a sedative before leaving"  
"Usually I take it, but the treat is short and tonight there is the first one, you know that they leave me stunned, you won't want to see me fly on the audience at the first pirouette" Sabine laughed tightening her seat belt, Natasha squeezed her hand to give her courage ,  
"Tell me about your artist is so romantic" Sabine asked softly, she knew that her friend was very reserved but she hoped to tear something out of her, Tasha smiled and nodded  
"There's not much to say," she began, "I told you everything in the car," laughed  
"How do you think it will go?"  
"I really have no idea, I don't want to think about it now, sorry" Natasha replied, looking at her friend, she didn't know what would have happened if he would have reached her, at the moment she tried to concentrate only on the first one but in her thoughts the choreography she knew by heart he mixed with Steve's smile, at that moment her career was at its peak, she and her dance company were in demand all over the country, she had just signed up for a six-month tour between America and Europe had worked hard for years and now didn't know how to tell man.  
The turbulence passed and the woman leaned against the window looking at the sky, the golden clouds reminded her of the mornings in the study, the concentrated face of the man as he posed or mixed the colors, the pilot announced that they were almost there, the woman fastened her belt and as soon as she got off the plane turned on the phone.  
   
§§§§§§§  
   
"Hello," Steve said cheerfully, picking up the phone  
"Hello, I just landed!" Replied Natasha happy to hear it,  
"Tasha.. do I look crazy to you if I tell you I miss?" the man laughed as he settled into the living room,  
"You too my crazy painter of dreams" she laughed back, they had just put together and it was absurd how much she missed him,  
"How was the flight?" He asked, "Ready for the first one?"  
"The flight went well, I was hoping to sleep but Sabine kept me awake with her phobias" she shook head, "I'm not worried about the first I'm more than prepared, I would have liked it if you were too.." answered sincerely,  
"I know princess, it was all so sudden, I won't be there but there will be your roses in place" he laughed, if hadn't had those outstanding jobs would have left immediately, "I have to finish some jobs and I'll join you as soon as possible"  
"I'll wait for you, Steve," she said hopefully, "there are a lot of things I'd like to tell you.." she began, wanted to tell him about the tourne and ask him to follow her but he realized that it was too early for that kind of talk, "..for now I tell you that I love you” concluded laughing, felt his colleagues whispering behind him,  
"I love you too princess" he replied, continuing to think about how to tell her about the proposed study, the door bell rang, the man stood up to open, taking the phone with him, "Come in, Hanna arrive immediately"  
"Hey, I just left and you already replace me?" The woman said laughing, she was jealous but would never have confessed,  
"Ahahah I would never do such a thing to you, it's a customer" he laughed, "I have to run away from the work the princess calls" he said seriously, "I love you and so much shit for tonight"  
"I love you and good job" Natasha replied attacking, "I'll call you after the show".

STEVE   
   
He finished the call and went to the studio where Hanna was waiting for him, the picture was in place and he had put another chair for the woman,  
"Steve is beautiful" said the woman admiring the painting, "I am always amazed by your skill"  
"Thank you I am happy that you are coming as you wanted it" he replied, putting himself in his place and starting to mix the colors, the picture was almost finished had to do the background and give more life to the eyes, in a couple of days he would have delivered the work, "I thought about adding more blue to the background what do you say?" he asked,  
"You are the artist, I trust your opinion" replied the woman trying to imagine the result,  
"By putting more shades of blue the eyes and the expression would be enhanced" he explained, "I'll show you" moved with the brush and gave a couple of shots near the faces,  
"It's true, they look brighter, you have Steve white paper," the woman said, smiling at him, "Brian will love it, I'm sure," Steve smiled  
"I have another job to offer if you have time," the woman said, the man looked at her and invited to continue, "I would like a painting for my sister, I found a picture of us little girls and saw the excellent work you did I would like another for her"  
"I would like Hanna but I don't know when I could start, I have just confirmed my SDAI membership and I will be leaving soon," Steve replied  
"Steve but it's beautiful news, I'm happy for you even if I'm sorry to lose my favorite painter" laughed Hanna cheerful hugging him like mother, "It will mean that I will wait for the end of your studies"  
the man laughed it was nice to know that one of his best clients would wait for him to finish preparation for more of his paintings.  
At 9 pm the painting was finished and had to dry out, Steve put it in a room that he had prepared for drying, it was dark and breezy, perfect conditions for the paintings not to be wasted, he greeted Hanna they would meet again in a couple of days for delivery, picked up the phone and called Adam, a possible new customer,  
"Good evening I'm Rogers I found your message how can I help you?" He said  
"Hi, thank you for calling," Adam replied, "I was looking for someone to make a wall paint and Sara gave me your number, would you be available for a trip?"  
"I can't accept sorry, I'm going to move and a wall paint would require too much work, I can give you a colleague's number if you want" he said against will, would have liked to have a wall available,  
"Sara mentioned it to me, the problem does not arise, the trip would be to San Diego, I saw some of your work and I would like you to work on it," the hopeful man replied, Steve smiled to himself,  
"If the house is in San Diego then the conversation changes, of course I accept, for you it's okay if we see each other to discuss the work and see the wall say Tuesday?"  
"Of course, is Tuesday fine for 10? I'll send you an e-mail with the details and the address" concluded Adam cheerfully, the two greeted each other. Steve was happy with the opportunity even if the lessons had taken him part of the day could work in the evening.  
   
NATASHA  
   
She arrived at the hotel and took a shower before ordering something to eat, was as nervous as ever, the first in a new theater, she couldn't wait to go and test the wood on the stage, took her shoes out of the suitcase. lucky charm and decided to use Steve's tie along with the usual ribbon for the hair, put the hairpins, gloves and shawl in order, methodical as always, fixing her things before the show calmed her or maybe was just as superstitious as all the dancers, always tied her hair in the same way, used the same green fabric tape for her fingers and always wore the left slipper, she put away everything would need in her old bag, it was a gift from her father when she started to dance and never separated from it even though it was worn and full of patches, she heard a knock and opened to the waiter who put the tray on the table and went out smiling, ate something before reaching her colleagues and in the lobby and go to the theater for the dress rehearsal.  
The bus ride was cheerful, they were all excited for the new adventure  
"Tasha did you bring them?" Asked Marianne nervously  
"Certainly Mari seems to me that you forget something like this!!" Natasha said taking a packet of cherry lollipops from the bag, dividing it with the others,  
"Fortunately, you are there!", "I really needed it, thank you", "I would not have set foot in the theater without it", the dancers calmed down holding the cake between their fingers, it was a sort of ritual before entering the theater, they went down In front of the secondary entrance, they discarded the lollipop and entered, the director of the theater was waiting for them,  
"Welcome, sit down," he said politely, "Miss Romanov, if you want to follow me, I'll show you your dressing room," he turned, waving to her, the woman smiled and followed him, the dressing-room was beautiful, the walls were blue with little painted golden birds, the mirror it was perfectly lit and the couch looked comfortable, ideal for relaxing before and after the show,  
"It's beautiful, thanks," Natasha said, still smiling, a bouquet of yellow roses showing off on the table, she took one and put it behind ear  
"I'll wait to show you the stage," the man said, closing the door as he came out, the woman put the bag down and changed, stopped the rose in her hair and joined the others to try and take measurements.  
"This is a theater," she exclaimed, observing the width of the stage and the magnificence of the hall,  
"All in a row girl" the choreographer called to order them clapping hands, "Natasha in the front row please" he said calling her, the woman immediately found the concentration and followed the directives to perfection, "How is the plank?" He asked  
"Elastic and pleasant," Natasha replied, followed by signs of assent from her colleagues, "It will be a pleasure to work on it," she laughed, putting on her toes gracefully, tried a couple of hours to become familiar with the wood and returned to the dressing rooms to take a shower and start preparing.  
Natasha sat down in front of the mirror after getting dressed, took a couple of minutes to get into the part and started combing her hair, hid her tie under the ribbon and put the hairpins carefully, put on gloves and put on shoes , she was ready, heard the knock was the warning that there were 5 minutes left, got up and went behind the curtain and put herself in a circle with her colleagues for a minute of silence and took a seat in the middle, the music started, the curtain rose and Natasha smiled, raising her chin before bowing.  
 


	4. Chapter 4

STEVE  
   
Steve finished the work he was carrying out and began preparations for departure, made all the necessary documents and left the keys to his apartment in Sara  
"Hey don't destroy my house while I'm away" laughed, hugging her, "I'll come as many times as I can, not to mention that once I finish school I'll come back here, this is my house"  
"Quiet Brooklin boy no exaggerated parties, nothing piled up ... I will treat her well" laughed the woman in turn, "You only think about studying and your dancer .. have you already thought about how to tell her everything?"   
“I tried the other night but by phone it seems so wrong, I'll tell you about it tonight or tomorrow" he replied tense, would have reached Natasha in the evening and was thinking about how to face the speech in the best way without risking losing it, finished packing up that they would leave for San Diego with the movers, with if he would bring only a bag for a few days and his suit for the theater, looked at his house one last time, already missed it, greeted Sara and went up on the taxy.  
Checked in at the airport and waited for flight,  
"I'm going to leave," said cheerfully on the phone, "Of course I'll arrive for dinner, I miss you so much I can't wait to be with you", Natasha was as impatient as he was to be together, "Where did we meet?" the address of the woman's hotel on the agenda and moved to the gate, they had just called her flight, "See you soon, I love you" said greeting her and turning off the phone as soon as he sat down, the journey was quiet and in less than two hours landed, went to the baggage claim he was about to take his suitcase when a pinkish red flash caught his attention, had just time to turn around and Natasha threw herself into his arms smiling and beautiful.  
   
NATASHA  
   
The first had gone very well, the public had been enthralled by Natasha and the rest of the company, their agent had extended the evenings for 4 more shows to give everyone the chance to see him, the woman was excited and happy for that opportunity every night. of admirers of all ages waited for her and her colleagues outside the theater with flowers and gifts, Natasha loved the warmth of the audience, every night before going to bed she and Steve felt, the night before seemed to her that the man was anxious but did not ask him the reason he probably had a lot of work and sometimes felt guilty about those calls late at night but they would see each other in a few hours and was happy to spend some time with him, got up early to organize the perfect evening, had two days off and wanted to spend them alone with him, the boutique had given her the new dress in the morning, just below the knee, bright green in perfect 50s style, sure that Steve would go priced, the restaurant reservation was confirmed and the car booked, before leaving to go to the airport had secured all the privacy wanted by changing hotel, greeted Serlina and left.  
Called the man on his way downtown  
"My love, have you already left home?" asked cheerfully, "Will you make it for 7? I booked in an intimate place" said "I'm in the Four Seasons in the center I'll wait for you there" greeted him, hearing the announcement of his flight, the car left her in front of the hotel the woman went up, put the new dress in the closet and arranged the things before going out, would have made a surprise to Steve waiting for him at the terminal, arrived at the airport and looked around, the billboard marked the flight as landed and turned around the terminal looking for him, when found joy took over and ran to threw her arms around his neck.  
   
   
§§§§§§§  
   
   
They stood looking at each other for a few minutes smiling, nobody noticed them in the terminal, other couples were greeting each other,  
"Tasha you are beautiful, let yourself be watched" said the man taking her face in his hands and getting lost in his eyes, "I missed you so much princess" hugged her to his chest and kissed,  
"Steve I missed you too" she replied, melting into his arms, "Let's go to the hotel so you leave your suitcase and go to dinner, I want to take you to my favorite restaurant" said, moving away from him and taking his hand, the man retrieved luggage and followed her to the taxy stand.  
20 minutes later they went down in front of the hotel, went up to the room Steve put the suitcase beside the bed and took the woman in his arms, untying her dress,  
"What time did you book?" He asked, slipping off the dress that slid to the floor.  
"There is time" replied Natasha kissing him, "We have all the time in the world my love", both were burning, not seen for a week and the passion took over, they made love getting lost in each other as if the time did not exist, they lay in bed, flirting like boys, Steve kept touching the woman's face and staring at her, she was beautifully disheveled with bright eyes, her body soft and naked leaning on him  
"I have to talk to you about something" he began hesitantly, "I wanted to wait but I don't want to ruin these days", the woman leaned on her elbow and stared at his serious face,  
"I listen to you Steve" replied with heart in her throat,  
"When you left I received a call from San Diego," he began, "I was actually hoping they would call me, the Art Academy accepted me," waited a moment for her to understand what he was saying, "Before it became official between us that phone call would have filled me with joy, now I don't know .. " concluded sighing, Natasha looked at him for a second and smiled,  
"I also have to talk to you about something," she said, intertwining his fingers, "On the morning of the departure I learned that my company got a contract for a six-month tour around the country and at the end of the season six months in Europe..” she concluded, the two remained silent for a few minutes  
"Steve ... have you decided to go to San Diego?" Asked the woman,  
"Yes, it has always been my dream to study at SDAI although I admit that for a second I was about to give up, our story has just been born and it will be really difficult if we are so far away ..."  
"I don't know what you think but I don't want to give up on you, I say try and see how things are going, certain occasions happen once in a lifetime as well as certain loves," she said seriously,  
"I believe it too, we can handle everything," Steve said, both of them were trying to convince themselves that it would be easy knowing that the truth was another,  
"Love shower and dinner?" The woman asked, "I booked for 7am" laughed as she stood up and reached out to invite him to follow her. Steve laughed and joined her in the bathroom, took a slow shower and prepared to leave,  
"Princess this dress looks great on you," whispered, pulling up her zipper, "I almost regret going out you are so beautiful that I would like to keep you just for me," the woman turned and smiled and kissed him,  
"You're not too bad, but I confess that I prefer you with a work uniform, the stained suit you had when you pulled me back made me warm every time I went into your house," she laughed as adjusted his tie, the woman replied to the room phone ringing,  
"The car is waiting for us," said, taking his hand, left cell phone in the room, picked up purse and left.  
The restaurant was in the outskirts the woman had discovered it a few nights earlier after the show, it was not a luxury and pretentious place but if she had fallen in love he had immediately reminded her of the Parrot where he met Steve, a waitress on skates welcomed them,  
"Miss Natasha, well come, your table is ready, follow me," he led them smiling to a colored screen and left the menu and returned to his position to accompany other customers to their table.  
"Tasha is beautiful," Steve said putting some coins in the juke box on the table, "I expect to see Sara appear with dinner," he laughed,  
"I knew you would have liked it, I think I chose it because it reminds me of our meeting," she replied, blushing, the man took her hand, thinking back to that evening, they ordered food and while they waited Steve invited her to dance, they laughed heartily on the track, was fascinated by the movements of the woman, drew her to him if for a slow Natasha clung to him happily, they returned to the table when they saw the waitress with the drinking tray, toasted and they shared a plate of chips, a little girl approached shyly the couple looked at her,  
"I liked the show so much yesterday," said the little girl who seemed to be 10 years old or so, "I ... I ... sign the shoes, please?" she asked, blushing, pulling a pair of worn-out yellow dance shoes out of his backpack ,  
"Thanks baby" Natasha smiled, "Are you a dancer too? I like the yellow” she took the felt-tip pen that the little girl was holding out to her and the shoes,  
"What's your name?" asked looking at her  
"Beatrice" replied happily, Natasha autographed the side with her delicate writing and returned everything to her little fan who turned happily towards her mother,  
"Thank you," said the woman, "we have come to dinner here in the last few days hoping to see her, Bea is a great admirer of her"  
"It was a pleasure," said Natasha, smiling at Bea, "She goes on studying small," mother and daughter returned to their table Steve laughed seeing the joy of the little girl who continued to admire her shoes, "Sorry to interrupt, ignore a certain type of admirers is easy but I cannot fail when it comes to a colleague" the woman laughed  
"Mmm do you often bother them?" He asked curiously, trying to mask a bit of jealousy  
"Only out of the theater, jealous?"  
"I'm afraid so," he laughed, "Hard not to be, you're so beautiful tonight, but you're always so beautiful in a jumpsuit and overalls," he said caressing her face, the woman closed her eyes and leaned against his palm  
"Oh Steve, I feel complete and perfect when I'm with you," she said softly, the waitress arriving with dinner  
"Wow they look great" said Steve admiring the tray of hamburgers and chips they had in front of him, "High class 50s" laughed pouring mustard on the potatoes, the couple had a good dinner the man was always amazed to see her eating, it was so thin that he wondered where he put the food, the sandwiches were delicious and, not at all satiated, they ordered two more,  
"Would you like a dessert?" Asked the maid as she cleared it,  
"For me, no thanks, I'm satisfied," Natasha said  
"Even I pass, I take a coffee thanks", the evening was warm and pleasant they took a walk and stopped in front of a bowling alley,  
"Would you like to do a couple of jumps princess?" Steve asked, dragging her into the room, the woman followed him, laughing,  
"Why not it's a bit that I don't play ... you will give me an advantage for cavalry, right?" she laughed as tied her hair, the man took the shoes for both and they headed for the assigned track, Natasha changed the ball a couple of times, they were all too heavy for her and she resigned herself to using that for children Steve didn't miss the chance to make fun of her,  
"I thought the dancers were much stronger," he laughed, kissing her,  
"And we are but not in our arms, the important thing is that the dancer has strong arms, but I can break the nuts with the calves" she replied making him a tongue, the man took her in his arms and kissed her laughing, the game ended with the victory of the woman for a few points, Natasha suspected that Steve had made her win and found the tender thing, to thank him for his kindness took a couple of slices of cake and chocolate with cream, finished the cake and called the car for back to the hotel.  
Natasha clung to the man as soon as got in the car and fell asleep Steve took off his jacket and covered it thinking about the wonderful day that they had just passed the future of their story was uncertain but at that moment he really understood to love her and he would do anything to stay with her, they reached the hotel and went up to their room,  
"Sorry if I fell asleep in the car," the woman said, taking off her shoes, "The evening was a wonderful perfect ending after a heavy week, I counted the days since we heard," she smiled, untangling her tail, Steve approached caressing her hair,  
"Princess did not need to go out, we could have stayed here to relax in bed," he replied, kissing her, "I would not have objected to having your body on you all night,"  
the woman laughed dragging him towards the bed,  
"Nice program, we can start now, though," she mewed, lying on top of him and blinking,  
"But you were not tired princess?" He provoked her by stroking her back, they looked lost in each other's eyes before kissing, they spent most of the night making love fell asleep almost at dawn, Steve was the first to wake up and was enchanted by watching Natasha still asleep, her matted hair lit by the sun looked like a halo, he wanted to portray her again, not being able to do so he turned slowly so as not to wake her and took his cell phone to take a picture of her, the woman moved, feeling a click,  
"Good morning, love," she said, still semi asleep, "Did you start taking pictures of me while I sleep?" asked with a smile,  
"Sorry you were so beautiful with the reflection of the sun that I wanted to take you one to always carry with me," the man replied, showing her the shot, Natasha moved towards him to kiss,  
"Is beautiful, you have an exceptional eye for these things," said leaning against his chest, "Will you make a picture of it?"  
"I think so, it will be like having you with me while I study ..." he replied "I honestly would be almost tempted to give up the SDAI .." said sincerely, the woman sat up staring at him,  
"You're not serious, Steve," she said, altered, "It's your dream you can't give up for ... for me ... I won't let you," the man looked at her in amazement and didn't expect a similar reaction.  
"Tasha .. I don't want to give it up," said calmly, "I say I thought about it, you realize that if all goes well we'll see each other once a month ... maybe less .." took her face in his hands, ". .your job is going to take you around the world and I'm afraid .. "  
"Afraid of what?" She asked, giving her a smile,  
"Well, afraid of losing you, afraid you could find something else ..." he confessed, feeling like a complete idiot, Natasha burst into laughter,  
"Steve nothing and no one could take me away from you, just the dance .. and maybe not even that .. I could give up if you asked me", she said discovering her card, no one had ever made her falter on her life choices like he,  
"Princess I would never ask you for such a thing, it would be like you asking me to stop painting" he squeezed her, "It was all sudden, too much and all together, you were my painter's dream for a very long time, you appeared like a dream and I'm in love with you and while I was dealing with my feelings, he called me the SDAI .. " he said seriously," ..I think it's the same for you "  
"I had promised myself not to let a man make me falter, my last boyfriend could not withstand the rhythms dictated by my work and did everything to make me change then you came from nothing, with that stupid idea of the portrait and there I fell in love with you with all the shoes and now the tour .. " she concluded again tightly to him, they were laced lost in their thoughts trying to figure out how to make things work.


	5. Chapter 5

"Enough heaviness now, I don't want to talk or think about tomorrow," the woman said, getting up and taking the phone, "What do you want from breakfast?"  
"Coffee and brioche princess" replied kissing her hand, "And I agree with you, let's not think about tomorrow" he laughed, getting up and putting something on, hug Tasha kissing her neck as she ordered, the woman laughed like a little girl waking up and looking at him accusatory,  
"You're worse than a child," she said, pulling at his shirt, laughing, they waited for breakfast, hugging each other on the sofa on the terrace, Tasha went to open it as soon as heard it ringing, had the cart brought to the terrace and thanked the waiter on the tray. of flowers and mail, Steve looked at the flowers, he wanted to open the note that accompanied them but he stopped,  
"You will not be jealous Steve" the woman said putting the flowers in a vase and throwing away the tickets without opening them, "The only tickets I read are yours, now that we're together and send me" she laughed, "I remember the curiosity that they put on me the mysterious yellow roses that arrived to me before the show” she looked at him, Steve smiled at her  
"I'm sorry but I think I'm a little jealous and I know I shouldn't" he took her in his arms and kissed, "My beautiful Tasha, thin and delicate princess of my dreams," whispered, squeezing her,  
"Oh Steve" said Tasha melting in his arms, "There is no reason to be jealous about it .." she sat up looking at him seriously, "... if they were to ask me questions in some interviews I can talk about he asked, looking at him, the man answered the look and smiled happily  
"Of course you can talk about me, about us, if you want you don't need my permission," he laughed, kissing her again,  
"I care about my privacy and I don't want to make you uncomfortable, I want everyone to know that I'm yours ..." she said in a whisper, "..I'm used to seeing myself in magazines or being recognized as having happened at the restaurant I don't want you to suffer the stress.."  
"Don't worry about me, I can manage fans and paparazzi and be envied by strangers in love I don't mind," he smiled, "Now let's eat before it gets cold, those croissants look delicious," they took their breakfast and spent a good part of the day chatting on the couch listening to music, it was late afternoon when the woman's phone rang,  
"Hello .. I just have to dress up .. ok below in 15 minutes later" closed the call and began to prepare, Steve looked at her question,  
"Love my clothes in 15 minutes they pick us up to go to the theater," she said cheerfully tying his hair, "You won't want to miss the evening!" laughed looking at the man's face,  
"Does the show not start at 10 p.m?" Steve asked, getting dressed  
"Yes, but we usually do a dress rehearsal first and it takes at least 2 hours just to get dressed and put on make-up, you've only ever seen the show and I'd like you to watch the preparation .. always if you want" she smiled hugging him,  
"I want to watch!" He replied kissing her, they closed the door behind them and went down.  
A colored bus was waiting for them in front of the hotel, the two went up between laughter and general cries of Tasha's colleagues,  
"Girls, you are adults, stop making childs" the woman laughed, "He's Steve .. MY Steve!" said introducing him, "Behave yourself well"  
"Nice to meet you," said the man sitting down next to Tasha, "I hope it's not a problem if I come with you" smiled bewitching her,  
"Imagine!", "It is a pleasure to have you with us!", "We finally know you", "Tasha wanted to keep you hidden!", the group was cheerful and funny Steve laughed all the way to the theater.  
The company got out and headed for the entrance signing autographs, getting flowers and taking pictures, Steve smiled next to Tasha trying to look relaxed, it was strange to be around her with the fans that surrounded until a short time before, he was also in the ranks. of admirers and now it was there that held her hand in love and in love, pressed her to him and they entered the theater, the director and the choreographer welcomed them,   
"Girls have changed a couple of tables you are careful not to slip and abound with pitch on the shoes" he said calling them to order," You must be the famous Steve" said welcoming the man," It is a pleasure to have you among us, sorry but I have to steal your beauty if you want to sit in the front row ... " dismissed, the girls laughed seeing Steve's unconvinced face,   
"It's not because it's you .. he's grumpy with everyone when he works" Tasha whispered before kissing him and following her colleagues in the dressing room, Steve smiled at her and reached place was about to sit when found a package with his name on the seat, opened it and inside was a sketch pad and some charcoal the note was written in the delicate hand of the woman   
Inspiration is a capricious muse I don't want you lose it .. I love you N.   
smiled taking off his jacket, he didn't want to risk dirtying it, he sat down waiting for the rehearsals to start .. 

NATASHA 

"Could you be a little kinder to my boyfriend don't you think?" said as a half reproach to choreographer, "You were not cute",   
"Tasha I am happy for you but being cute is not my job" the man replied laughing as passed her shoes, "I am here to make you and the others shine and your man distracts me terribly .. is it beautiful to take your breath away you realized?" the two laughed and left the dressing room, "Let's go princesses" he shouted clapping his hands, "Put the pitch and do a test of the new boards do not want to slip tonight ", the group go on stage and the music began Tasha hovering light to warm up and walked to the center   
"Before the show will be better to scratch the new boards, also with pitch are too shiny and slippery," she groaned taking a few steps on the new stage, " If they had been behind it wouldn't be a problem but here we risk our ankles"   
"The maintenance guys are coming Miss Romanov " said the director apologetically, "Tonight will be perfect ", Tasha smiled gratefully, she was not the kind of person who complained but didn't want to get hurt or that some of her colleagues did it, looked at Steve intent on throwing down some sketches and smiled, seeing him so concentrated as when he did the first portrait filled her with joy, the choreographer brought her back to reality   
"Jim careful not to let it fall" was saying to the dancer as he prepared to spin Tasha,   
"Quiet I know how to handle it and we are in safe position" laughed, "Ready? "   
"Certainly," Tasha replied, concentrating, turning around and throwing herself into the arms of the partner who lifted her effortlessly, placing her upside down and making turn her a half turn.  
"Perfect as always" said the choreographer giving time with his hands, Tasha smiled, taking a breath, seen from the outside everything seemed easy and effortless but it was not,  
"Let's try the ending before having lunch break," she said, recalling her colleagues, the group gathered and got into position and slipped as one person concluded the tests,  
"10 minutes of exercise come on!" The woman said, sitting on the floor and stretching her legs and arms to loosen her muscles, looked towards the audience smiling at Steve who was staring at her,  
"Tasha please help me?" Sabine asked, the woman got up and pressed her friend's shoulders,  
"So okay?" asked helping her to flex,  
"Thank you very much a nerve was upset and it bothered me" she smiled thanking, the group got up and walked towards the dressing rooms  
   
STEVE  
   
He crossed his legs on the chair, looking at the dancing body was preparing, his mind began to wander as he followed the girls' music and movements, traced the first thin lines that would have helped him during the drawing phase, he was mesmerized by Tasha, staring at the woman .. her woman .. while jumping nimbly through the stage with concentrated eyes, caught the moment when Jim whirled her in the air, imagined her with hair down and a pair of angelic wings and stared that moment not to forget it, it was so nice to be there and to be able to capture all the nuances of his work, "I should use the camera" said to himself "There is so much to fix", the charcoal that ran fast on paper, passed by Tasha to her colleagues, wanted to finish at least one drawing to leave it to the woman, her face giving instructions, her hair perfect, her shawl over her shoulders, the grace with which Tasha walked, testing the plank, could do nothing about it he was hopelessly in love with her and fascinated by her every move he was totally focused as if he were in his studio, he heard some soft laughter beside him and turned around, a colleague of Tasha was watching his work  
"Sorry I didn't want to bother you but you have a pencil on your face," she said, trying to stay serious, the man hadn't realized he had put his charcoal behind his ears and had gotten soiled  
"How?" He said, turning to her,   
"You have charcoal on my face," she said, "But it's beautiful, Nat was right are very good," smiled   
, "Thank you, it is an honor to witness all this .." he said god looking clean face,   
felt hands clap and turned towards the stage Tasha was coming down the steps to reach him,   
"My love you charcoal everywhere" laughed cleaning it, the man smiled   
"You too" laughed brushing her face before kissing, "Make a paused? " he asked, watching the group move   
“You need a hot dog?Around the corner there is always a food track" Tasha replied,   
" I follow you beauty " he laughed as stood up and took her hand, followed to the dressing room where the woman changed her shoes  
   
§§§§§§§  
   
They all went out the back door together, some fans were already waiting to pay tribute to Tasha with flowers and tickets, the woman smiled thanking Steve for staying close  
"They are beautiful thanks," she smiled at an elderly gentleman who offered her pink daisies,  
"If I were 40 years younger I would make you a merciless young lady," the man said, "you are a lucky boy!" smiled at Steve with a wink, the couple followed the others to the van,  
"Two suits with mustard please," said Steve, "And chips, thank you"  
"Here," replied the cook, giving him lunch, "Nat the usual for you?" asked to the woman,  
"Sure Tony," Tasha smiled, the man smiled and handed her two baskets full of chips and three sandwiches, the woman took order and walked with Steve to a corner in the shadow of the park,  
"How does someone so tiny and delicate to eat like this?" laughing the man asked as watched Tasha devour lunch  
"You stopped at first glance," the woman replied, wiping her mouth, "We look delicate and stiff but I tell you a secret, most of the dancers eat like a trucker and talk like a dump truck!!" to laugh, "For this the pause we make her in secret we don't want to upset the people" Steve rubbed her the fries and kissed,  
"You are unbelievable love" he smiled, "I could make a beautiful portrait, you surrounded by cup cakes and chips in a tub of lemonade" squeezed, imagining the set, they burst out laughing like kids, it was so relaxing to joke in the park while they were having lunch,  
"We have to go it's time to get ready, girls," said the choreographer, bringing the group back to order, they returned to the theater.  
Steve followed Tasha into the dressing room and watched as she prepared, he was a cyclone when worked, left open colors and scattered brushes while the woman was the emblem of methodicality, costume hanging on the bar, lined shoes, he knew her and knew that in the her newspaper was as chaotic as he was, but at work that perfection in her gestures served to concentrate and enter the character, someone knocks on the door  
"10 minutes Miss Romanov" Tasha did not get upset,  
"I reserved you a seat in the front row" she told Steve looking at him from the mirror, "But if you like it you can look at me from the back stage like the phantom of the opera" smiled  
"Of course I am pleased" he smiled, "I want to see all of your work" went to kiss her, knocked and gave the 5 minutes, the couple came out of the dressing room, Tasha made the man sit next to the stage where he would see him show in its entirety, kissed him and stood in position waiting for the go.


	6. Chapter 6

STEVE

Steve was constantly thinking back to the days just passed with Natasha as the plane prepared to take off, the little bubble of joy had vanished and now the woman was on a plane that would take her from the other end of the country while he was leaving to start the his studies at SDAI and did not know when they would meet again but tried not to think about it, at that moment he had to concentrate and think only of himself as it was difficult, he tied the woman's ribbon on his wrist like a bracelet and tried to relax his arrival would have to put the new apartment in order and check the schedule of the lessons, smiled to himself thinking that he would be a freshman ... one of the oldest, surrounded by boys and girls fresh out of graduation was the main reason why he had not chosen to living on campus but taking a house, chaos was not for him, not even as a boy did he love him, in high school he was secluded among the artists despite having a perfect body for r the sport, he ran only to relax but the best thing was the girls, everyone ran after the cheer leaders, as was obvious, but he had always loved busy girls, those with whom you could stay at the pub talking and laughing without 'anxious to have to be perfect or without having to endure the endless hours of shopping to find the perfect dress for shoes, in short he preferred the kind of girls who almost all snubbed .. those who did not hide to be intelligent, the thought immediately went to Tasha, she kept asking herself how an intelligent and wonderful woman like her could have chosen him, a recurring question even in high school, in those days the fascination of the artist was taking hold now that he was a man she didn't understand the mechanisms of love but she wasn't worried it was happy to be with Tasha, how he made him feel and laugh at eating popcorn in front of the TV, he didn't ask for much,  
"Would you like something? Coffee, water, a sandwich ”the gentle voice of the hostess brought him back to reality,  
"Thanks coffee," he replied with a smile, he would have landed soon, he saw the city from the window, he was excited for his new life and ready to get busy.  
He looked at the time while he was waiting for his luggage, it was just after 3 pm, Tasha was still in the air  
¥ You will be on the desert at this time, I have just landed call me when you arrive, I LOVE YOU ¥   
retrieved his suitcases and took a bus to the center, he had an appointment with a certain Marc, an old friend of Sara's whom the woman had asked to looking for the apartment for him, he arrived downtown and looked for the bar where the man was waiting for him looking around, Sara had forgotten to send him a picture and didn't know how to recognize it,  
"You must be Steve!" Said a cheerful voice from a table behind him, the man turned and smiled back,  
"Marc, I assume," came over to shake his hand, "You were luckier than me, Sara sent you a picture," he laughed, settling himself,  
"If you know Sara well, you know she didn't do it," she said calling the waitress, "Two coffees please" the girl wrote the order and disappeared at the counter, "I assumed you were, suitcases, backpack, you looked around ... typical appearance of the newly landed stranger "  
"The classic out-of-home student" both laughed, drinking coffee  
"Sara told me everything about you she wanted you to find the right home for her Brooklyn boy, she left off telling me you're gorgeous," he said flirtatiously,  
"Thank you, you're not bad either," Steve replied, not feeling the least bit uncomfortable, "I can't wait to be home I'm exhausted"  
"So let's go, I have the car out here," answered Marc, making his way, "It's a stone's throw from the campus, you walk 5 minutes through the park, I hope it's your taste," the man said, "I prepared you a map with the most useful things in the area, shops, restaurants and various places in case you want to go out every so often "  
"Thank you very much, can I bother you in case of need?" Steve asked, "I was so used to having Sara always with me that it's strange to be alone"  
"No problem, I promised Sara to take care of you .. I always keep my promises" he smiled giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder, they arrived in the campus area in less than half an hour, he felt the atmosphere of the artists, groups of students strolling in the park, Marc parked in front of a blue house.  
"Welcome to San Diego," he said, giving him the keys, "Come in and tell me what you think while I unload the luggage," Steve walked up the driveway and opened the door, he really liked the outside, old style repainted with bright colors like the others in area, he immediately found the living room to welcome him, the red bricks had been exposed, an old leather sofa with two armchairs occupied the corner in front of the TV, the open kitchen was separated from the living room with an arch that also served as a bench for lunch, a short corridor led to the bedroom, Steve hoped to have a room just to work but he would have divided the bedroom with a curtain in case, and from the outside it seemed that the house had two floors, he went back to the room where Marc waited leaning against the wall  
"Is it your taste?" He asked cheerfully  
"It's a perfect friend you made a great choice," he replied, throwing his backpack on the sofa, he didn't want to be rude by telling him about the extra room he wanted, on the campus there were classrooms to paint in solitude,  
"Mmm yet Sara had told me that you were looking for something with at least two rooms to get you a studio"  
"In fact I would have liked to have a studio, but it's not a problem," he replied awkwardly, "Do me a favor by leaning against the wall with me," Marc said, looking at him puzzled, not understanding the request, the man nodded to him approaching, once leaning he felt a click and moved between the curious and the undecided looking at Marc who was laughing,  
"I thought a secret study was better," he said mysteriously, he pushed "the wall" that opened showing a flight of stairs leading to the upper floor,  
"Cabbage the wall is a door ?!" said Steve amazed, "It's a brilliant idea !!" he laughed as he looked at Marc,  
"When I visited the house and they showed me the door I thought it was the right one for you," said the man,  
"Friend is all perfect now, if Tasha were here I would be in heaven" he concluded with a veil of sadness in his voice,  
"Follow me, I'll show you the second floor," he said, going up the stairs, followed by Steve, the upper floor was large and bright, the walls had been removed to create a room full of light with the bathroom attached, the wooden floor was covered with carpets colored and some boxes were leaning against the wall, it would have become a beautiful studio once the furniture arrived,  
"What do you say is big enough to work?" Marc asked, looking at the happy face of the man, "In the boxes there are spare tiles, you can put them in the garage since you don't have a car"  
"Marc now that everything is perfect, if I didn't think badly I would kiss you" he answered laughing,  
"I'm afraid my husband and your girlfriend would have something to say, a hug is more appropriate" laughed Marc in turn, "When do your things arrive?"  
"The movers will be here in a couple of days, I will have plenty of time to settle down before classes begin"  
"In that case, relax and take a walk, tomorrow night you are my guest at dinner," he said giving him a pat on the back, "Now I get back to the center, the work calls" the two shook hands, Steve accompanied the new friend to the door  
"See you tomorrow and thank you for everything, Marc," he greeted  
"Brooklyn boy tomorrow" the man laughed as he left. Steve went into the room and unpacked, found a box with a ticket on the bottom of the suitcase  
¥ Good start lessons my love T. ¥  
opened the excited package inside there was a set of colored charcoal of his favorite brand, he smiled at that special gift, he was really a lucky man who found Tasha, closed the box and put it on the table, took out the folder with the documents and went out to go to register in the faculty, Marc was right passing through the park took a few minutes to arrive, he crossed some students and stopped to look at a drawing group that was portraying a girl posing on the tree, that was the his place was increasingly convinced, he smiled as he entered the campus garden.  
Looked around was exactly as he remembered it, at least 3 years had passed since his first visit to apply for enrollment but in those days he didn't have the credentials to access, he had worked hard, committing himself to the maximum and finally he had managed to enter, he followed the signs. for the secretariat, hoping it was still open, it was almost 6 pm maybe it was late,  
"Excuse me," he said, stopping a woman in the corridor, "Is the office still open?", The woman looked at him with a smile  
"Of course, students are constantly coming in and open until late," he replied, "But the new teachers have to report to the rector not in the office," Steve laughed, he expected something similar,  
"Er thank you but I'm a new student," he said awkwardly, even the woman laughed  
"I'm sorry I'm used to dealing with 18/20 years old kids, so I'll see you in class on Monday, Mr.?"  
"Rogers, Steve Rogers," he said, shaking her hand,  
"Nice to meet you, Anna Smith, you can call me Anna like all my students", the woman walked away and Steve walked down the corridor to the student office, knocked and a secretary came in, greeted him smiling,  
"Good afternoon, can I help you?" she asked, making him sit down,  
"I should complete the registration, I have the documents here," he replied, sitting down and handing her the folder with the documentation,  
"Let's see .." said checking and entering the data of the man in the system, "... it's all right, these are the times of the lessons and those of the teachers, a map of the campus .." she handed him the sheets, ".. do you already have accommodation? ” asked, taking other sheets from the file,  
"Yes I took a house just outside the complex," he replied  
"Very good then the poster with the ads you do not need, well come to the SDAI Steve" smiled dismissing him  
"Thanks," he answered as left, opened the map and studied it so as not to get lost on the first day, took a walk in the large campus park to get some reference points, he was studying a mural when he heard the phone vibrate.  
"Hello my beautiful princess" he said lovingly answering Tasha, "How was the flight?"  
"My love we just landed, the journey went well I'm very tired" said the woman, "Did you settle down?"  
"Yes, I just completed the registration, I was walking around the campus" he replied, sitting down in the tree, "I wish you could see the house, it's near the park and full of light you'd like"  
"I will give it a little thought of love," the woman replied laughing, "Take my own please," he said to someone  
"Do you have to look for your luggage? I let you do your things ... do we feel when you're at the hotel? "Steve said, hearing the voices of the woman's colleagues,  
"I figured I was just giving the coupon to Jessy so he recovers everything, I think I'll collapse in bed as soon as he arrived at the hotel" he laughed, "Flying makes me anxious I wasn't able to rest .. I kept thinking of you",  
"Princess wanted to thank you for the gift, I will think of you every time I use them .. however there is something for you in the suitcase .." Steve said mysteriously,  
"Then I will have to unpack as soon as I arrive!" She said curiously, "The bus has arrived, we feel later my sexy painter .. I love you"  
"... I love you princess afterwards" he replied, attacking, stood looking at the sky through the leaves enjoying the cool of the evening before returning home, getting into the studio and starting to make it usable, he didn't think about tidying the new house but he concentrated only on the upper floor his art came first of all .. not before Tasha laughed to himself, now she was his center, he made some trips to bring the spare tiles into the garage, he did not remove those chipped or broken ones, observing them he thought of a project for one of the walls of the studio, in the garage he found an old table covered with objects he cleaned it, he untied the drawers stuck by the long inactivity and put it in a corner of the studio, it was perfect to keep brushes and colors, he would wanted to bring up one of the armchairs upstairs but realized that it was too heavy for him, he promised himself to ask Marc for help the next day, it was almost night when he looked around, in the study lacking only his stool and the raised base he used for portraits, they would arrive in the following days along with the rest, fortunately the house was furnished had left all his furniture in the old house, he had taken only his study, his clothes and objects from which he would not have separated for anything in the world, photos of his family, a colorful sculpture given to him by Sara that everyone found horrible but that he loved, the wind chimes of shells he had made with his grandchildren, all his memories more expensive, the day had been long and tiring and he was hungry but the fridge was deserted, "Thanks Marc" said between himself opening the envelope that the man had left him, inside there were a series of numbers for home deliveries , he scanned the list and decided for Chinese dinner, he called, ordered, had plenty of time to take a shower and change before dinner arrived, the first day in San Diego had been exciting and tiring at the same time or, he hung the wind chimes on the porch and sat on the veranda with the meal, he lacked Tasha but felt happy, that was his dream and decided to live it to the full.  
 


End file.
